Mystery
by avolowolf11CC
Summary: A tragic accident leaves a young cat alone in the world. She runs away from home, into the world of the warriors and the Clans.
1. Prologue

I have a lot to talk about. My name is Mystery. Or at least, it used to be. This is my story.

Prologue

My sister and I were born on the streets. It was a freezing winter day, and we only had a flimsy cardboard box for shelter. My mother and father hunted through trash cans and alleyways every day, but rarely came back with anything. Then one day, my mother came back alone and distraught. She wouldn't speak for three days. When she finally spoke, all she said was "I'm sorry..." Then she left our little box, and we never saw her again. My sister and I were left to wander the city, hungry, cold and alone, till one day, disaster struck. We saw an old half eaten hot dog on the other side of the road. Blinded by our hunger, we ran across without seeing the huge truck roaring towards us. I made it out with three legs. My sister did not.

I was picked up by the man in the truck. He took me to a cold, cold place, then left me for the strange, cold people and their strange, cold things. I didn't realize they were trying to save me. I didn't want to be saved. I just wanted to be with my sister.

When I left the cold place, I was taken to a wonderful place with other cats and lots of toys and more food than I knew what to do with. For a while, I was happy. Until one of my friends, Rose, was taken by a strange person. I never understood where she went or why.

More and more of the other cats disappeared, and still more came. But no one ever wanted the three-legged cat. I knew that. I tried my best to make them want me. But they just smiled and moved on. I stopped trying to be friendly with the other cats, because I knew that they would leave me soon. I stayed in the corner of the room, and ate my food in silence. The others ignored me, and I didn't mind. Nothing bothered me anymore. I lived alone.

But then there was one boy. He smiled at me and my pitiful existence, and he stroked me like he cared about me. His mother smiled as well. Finally I was taken home. Finally I was loved. He gave me a name. Mystery. I liked that name.

I truly loved the boy and his family, how they took care of me and made sure I was in bed every night before they slept. But I also craved freedom. Freedom to run free and not be bound by human rules. I didn't want to have to make dirt in a gravelly box, or stay close to the house so I didn't get lost. So I got myself lost on purpose. I hated to make the boy and his family sad, but I needed to run. I needed fresh air, and most of all, I wanted to overcome my disability. So I left. Thats when my story really starts.


	2. Chapter 1

**Yay! Here's chapter 1! Hope you enjoy! Also, I don't own Warriors! Erin Hunter does. Go bother her/them if you want to not me. **

Chapter 1

Mystery limped gingerly out of the ditch she had slept in. She was wet and cold, but she had at least been able to sleep out of the roaring wind. The wind here never stopped. It blew mercilessly, throwing leaves and small branches in Mystery's face as she trudged along the flat, grassy moor that seemed to go on forever.

Suddenly, a voice called, "Hey, you! Rogue! What are you doing on WindClan territoy?!"

Mystery whipped her head around to try and locate the cat, but by the time she did, he already had her painfully pinned to the ground, with his claws digging into her shoulders. To Mystery's surprise, he looked no older than she was, around eight moons.

"WindClan? Who are you?" she asked. Her voice rasped. She hasn't spoken in so long, it hurt to talk.

The tom narrowed his eyes, then let her up.

"My name's Thymepaw." he grunted, licking a paw.

"Mystery." she replied cautiously.

" The tom that stood before her was actually quite handsome. He was long and lithe, and lean muscles rippled under his gleaming golden-brown fur. His amber eyes glinted dangerously. She looked down at her own unkempt black and white fur, and noticed some ribs showing under the skin. She hasn't eaten recently either. Thymepaw looked well fed, so she decided to ask him about this "WindClan".

Before she could say anything, though, he asked, "What happened to your leg?"

Mystery glanced down at her stump, and felt a twinge of grief.

"I don't like to talk about it."

"Oh."

Silence.

"So what's WindClan?" she asked finally, fidgeting with the grass under her claws.

"Seriously? You've never heard of the Clans?" /span/p

"No."

"There's three more other than WindClan. RiverClan, ThunderClan and ShadowClan." His face showed more disgust with each clan he listed. /span/p

Mystery giggled. "I take it you don't like the other clans too much?"

"Well-" he was cut off by the sound of another cat, a she-cat this time.

"Thymepaw! Where did you run off to this time!"

"Coming, Eagleclaw!" He turned to Mystery. "Come meet my mentor!"

He ran down the slope, and Mystery followed. But she stopped dead when she saw Eagleclaw. Thymepaw's mentor was enormous, and Mystery could see why she was named Eagleclaw. Her long claws that dug into the ground could almost be called talons, and her broad tabby shoulders bulged with muscles. Mystery looked around frantically for a place to hide from the terrifying she-cat, but it was too late. Eagleclaw spotted her.

Mystery expected Eagleclaw to immediately attack her, but the she-cat didn't move. She narrowed her eyes at Mystery.

"I suppose you want me to report your _friend_ to Dawnstar?" Eagleclaw growled angrily.

"Eagleclaw, please I couldn't just leave her to wander around! Look at her, she's starving, and she's missing a leg!" Thymepaw protested.

"Well if you feel that strongly about _protecting_ her, let's take her back to camp," Eagleclaw spat. Without another word, she whirled around and stalked off. Thymepaw followed her meekly, and Mystery limped after them, still a bit shocked.


	3. Chapter 2

**I don't own Warriors... (Bad things would happen.)**

Chapter 2

Mystery stood shaking before Dawnstar, wishing she could be anywhere but there. The cat before her was beautiful. She had a reddish-gold pelt, and gorgeous blue eyes. Despite her beauty, she was not a cat that could be called dainty. She stared Thymepaw down angrily.

"Why did you see fit to bring a useless three-legged rogue to our clan?" Dawnstar hissed. Mystery winced at her words.

"I-I just found her, and, well, she's starving... I couldn't just leave her-"

"So you decided it would be a good idea to bring a hungry mouth that can't feed itself to our clan? It's almost leafbare! You for one should know that WindClan doesn't do well in leafbare! I don't have the resources to provide food for cats who don't deserve it!" Dawnstar yowled furiously. Mystery stared at her in shock. Then she shook herself and crouched down, not looking into the ferocious leader's eyes.

"Um, excuse me? I-I don't think I'm as useless as you think. I can hunt, but just not any stalking techniques because of my leg... But I can run. And if I could be taught I think I might be able to at least feed myself, and maybe even help your clan." Mystery mewed timidly.

"And what reasons do you have for wanting to join our clan?" Dawnstar questioned, looming over Mystery's terrified form.

"Well, um, this might sound a bit pathetic, but the truth is, I'm lonely when I'm on my own. I want to be close to a lot of cats like what I've seen of WindClan so far. I just... I suppose I just don't want to be alone." Her voice was almost a whisper when she finished speaking. She wasn't even sure why she was going through with this. It was obvious that Thymepaw wanted her to, but truthfully Mystery wasn't sure what she was doing.

"Oh, you poor, pitiful, lonely kit. You want family? You want to live with other cats?"

" Well... Yes.." Dawnstar leaned forward till her muzzle was right in Mystery's face.

"Tough," she spat.

"Dawnstar, please! She needs our help! I hate to mention it, but WindClan is kind of short on warriors right now! We could use her! She said so herself! Please..."

Thymepaw trailed off as Dawnstar shot him a furious look. Thymepaw immediately crouched down and hid his face in his paws.

"You!" She snapped at Mystery. "Get out of our camp and never let me see your face again!"

Mystery whirled around and ran. Out of the stuffy leader's den, out of the camp full of happy, content cats. After a while, she realized the fur on her cheeks was wet. She shook the tears away and ran until she couldn't smell any trace of WindClan's heathery scent anymore. She curled up under a weeping willow tree and slept, exhausted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ooh a page break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Weell yay that was fun! In case anyone was wondering, no, Dawnstar is not evil, just really proud and a bit full of it. So yeah. Review plz! •3•


	4. Chapter 3

**Again, I don't own Warriors. Erin Hunter does.**

Chapter 3

Mystery awoke to the sound of distant yowling. She stood slowly, groaning as her sore muscles moved. Her belly rumbled. Another yowl echoed over the moor. Then a screech of pain. Mystery's eyes widened as she recognized Thymepaw's voice, and without a second thought, she sprinted in the direction of the sound.

As she climbed a hill, Mystery stopped and stared at the carnage in front of her. Thymepaw was cornered between an enormous dog and a thorny gorse bush. A brown tabby tom lay on the ground, a pool of blood staining the grass around him. Eagleclaw and another tom were fighting off a second dog, but they too were being overwhelmed. Mystery stared in horror as the dog snapped at Thymepaw, who shrank back, terrified. Mystery narrowed her eyes. She hasn't known Thymepaw long, but he was a good cat. He shouldn't be left to die.

Mystery shot down the hill and launched herself onto the dog's back with a three-legged pounce she had taught herself. She dug her claws into its thrashing neck, and, fast as an adder, reached around its head and sank her teeth into its throat. The dog collapsed, bleeding. Mystery didn't release its throat till it stopped twitching.

Then she ran toward Thymepaw. "Are you ok?"

"Mystery!" he gasped. "That was amazing!" She looked at him, surprised. "Well...um yeah. We have to help Eagleclaw!"

"Right, right, yeah let's go!" They ran towards the other dog.

"Eagleclaw!" Thymepaw called. "We're coming!"

When Mystery reached the huge dog, she realized this one was bigger. She might not be able to kill it like she had the last one. She crouched down and hissed, "Hey, you! You smell like week-old dead fish!"

The dog couldn't understand her, but he got the gist. He roared in fury and lunged at Mystery. She ran. Faster than she ever had before, turning back and shouting more insults at it to make sure it was still chasing her. Suddenly, she felt strong jaws grip her scruff. She yelped, and the dog began shaking her back and forth like a ragdoll. She could feel her skin tearing.

Suddenly the sharp teeth released, and Mystery flew through the air and landed with a painful thud.

She lay there, winded, until she felt Thymepaw's strong shoulder prop her up.

"Mystery!" he gasped. Are you okay?!"

"I think so," Mystery wheezed.

"That was the bravest thing I've ever seen! You just ran up to that dog and-and you just-" he broke off, gasping.

"I couldn't... couldn't just let you... let you die," she groaned. Her legs ached. She couldn't move. Thymepaw's worried face started spinning, then everything went black.

OOOOOH WATS GONNA HAPPEN OOOOOOH MYSTERY GUURRRL YOU BEEN PASSED OUT! Um. Idk what that was... So... Yay for action-packed chapter :3 REVIEW?


	5. Chapter 4

**YAY... here's the next chapter. I don't own Warriors, yaddayadda and whatnot**

Chapter 4

The smell of herbs floated into Mystery's nose. It was a nice smell. She blinked her eyes open. She was lying in a comfy nest, surrounded by rocky walls and piles of leaves and berries. A thin trickle of water flowed through a crack in the wall.

"Where am I?" she mumbled. Her mind felt clouded.

"The WindClan medicine den." A gentle voice answered. A she-cat stepped into her view. "I'm Berrypaw, the medicine-cat apprentice."

"What...what happened?" she groaned, sitting up slowly.

"You lost a lot of blood from the dog, and you blacked out. Eagleclaw and Sunfur carried you here. Don't try to stand, your shoulder's dislocated," she added as Mystery's legs gave out.

"What happened to the other tom?" she asked.

Berrypaw's head dropped and he stared at her paws. "He's dead," she whispered miserably.

"What was his name?"

"Foxwind," she said sadly. "He had a daughter..."

"Oh... I'm sorry... Was he... Your father?" she ventured. Berrypaw sniffed, clearly fighting back tears.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Berrypaw, it was too late when I got there... I'm so sorry..."

"No, its... Its not your fault... You saved my brother and his mentor..."

"Thymepaw's your brother?"

"Yeah...our mother died in leafbare when we were still kits. So did our sister."

She sniffled again. Mystery's eyelids grew heavy. "I'm sorry Berrypaw..." she forced her eyes open. "You look tired," the medicine-cat apprentice said with a sad smile.

"Go ahead and sleep. If you need anything, I'm right here."

Mystery slept until she felt a gentle touch on her shoulder.

"Hey." It was Thymepaw.

"Dawnstar wants to talk to you," he said, a hint of worry in his voice.

"Alright, apprentice, move aside," came Dawnstar's commanding voice. Mystery cracked her eyes open.

"Don't just lie there, sit up!" Dawnstar barked.

Mystery heaved herself upright and looked into Dawnstar's grumpy face.

"I want to thank you. You saved the lives of some of my warriors. Also, you have shown me that you are, in fact, not useless and you have more than enough capabilities to become a strong warrior."

Mystery's jaws parted slightly. Was Dawnstar accepting her into the Clan?

"Do you mean I can join?" she asked, shocked.

"No I'm saying I'm passing up a chance for a new warrior after last leafbare's disaster," Dawnstar replied sardonically.

"So I can join!" Mystery exclaimed with glee.

"Your ceremony is at sundown. Don't be late. And clean that fur of your's. You look like you were attacked by a dog or something." she said gruffly. Dawnstar turned and stalked out of the medicine den. Mystery watched the departing she-cat in shock. She whirled to face Thymepaw.

"I can join!" she cheered. Thymepaw was grinning hugely. Mystery purred, then looked down at her matted mess of fur. Oh dear.

"This'll be fun," she grumbled.

"Well, you can't show up to your apprentice ceremony looking like you've been hit by a monster," Thymepaw laughed. Then an odd look came over his face.

"If you want, I could, um, well, I could help you," he mumbled, pawing at the ground.

"Oh. Sure!" Mystery replied, surprised. Thymepaw sat down next to her and started grooming her fur. A hearty purr grew in Mystery's throat, and she started gently licking Thymepaw's fur as well. It was nice to have company, and to feel close to another cat like this. Mystery smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~¥¥¥~~~~~{¥=¢=¢=¥=€¶{`]€[¥°¥°€=¢

Thats an exciting page break right there... Anyway, hope you are liking mah story... Mystery got accepted, WOOHOO! TOLD YOU DAWNSTAR'S NOT EVIL!VSHES NICE! I'll explain "last leafbare's disaster" at some point... So yay. Review please 3 :)


	6. Chapter 5

**Holy, buckets of ham, its the next update! A shoutout to Pixeleve for being the first to review! Thanks so much! Now. Everyone else turn into ducklings and follow his/her (idk) lead! :D Also, I don't own Warriors. If I did, there would be loads more FirexSand stuff, Princess would join the clans, SkyClan would have joined in on the last battle, and Half Moon would teleport into the future. So. And, now, a story. By me. **

Chapter 5: (Thymepaw's PoV)

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" Dawnstar's powerful voice rang out through the WindClan camp.

Thymepaw turned his head and grinned at his new friend. Their hard work had paid off. Mystery's fur gleamed like the shiny stuff Twolegs use to make their monsters. She's gorgeous. Thymepaw blinked, surprised and a little embarrassed at the sudden thought. Feeling his face heat up, he quickly turned away and called to his friend, "Come on! This is it!"

He and Mystery pelted out of the medicine den to join the throng of cats that was gathering in the little dip in the ground before the Highrock. He sat down, and felt Mystery's fur brush against his as she sat down next to him.

"We all know of the tragedy that befell us last leafbare, and we all know that WindClan has been struggling with so few warriors. So I have gathered you here today to welcome a new apprentice. Mystery, step forward." Mystery flashed him a look, nervousness in her blue eyes, then took a deep breath and limped to the front of the crowd. Immediately, sounds of outrage burst from the gathered cats, and Thymepaw saw Mystery's tail droop.

"Dawnstar, are you insane? We need _warriors, _not premature elders!" A particularly loud protest came from Falconwing, a smallish tabby warrior.

"I know, I know, that's what I thought too, when she first showed up at our camp. But I'm sure that you all know of the dog attack yesterday," Dawnstar's voice faltered a little as she spoke, but she forged on. "And you've all heard of the mysterious rescuer who saved three of our clanmates. That cat is Mystery, right here. Despite being half-starved and missing a leg, she killed, that's right, I said _killed_, one of the beasts and drew another away so that our warriors could finish it off. So unless any of you have any further objections, I am going to go ahead and make her an apprentice, because I believe she could be a valuable asset to WindClan."

Stunned silence followed her words. Then, slowly, the Clan started chanting, "Mystery! Mystery! Mystery!" Thymepaw saw Mystery smile with relief, and quite possibly the glint of tears as these total strangers cheered for her.

"Alright, come forward, Mystery." Mystery took a few steps forward to stand before Dawnstar.

"Mystery, from this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Nightpaw. Your mentor will be Moonfeather." Moonfeather, a pretty she-cat with an enormous plumy tail stepped forward, her eyes shining with surprise and pride.

"Moonfeather, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Shinefrost, and you have shown yourself to be compassionate and brave. You will be the mentor of Nightpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her." Dawnstar dipped her head, and Moonfeather turned her head to touch noses with Myst-no, Nightpaw. The newly named apprentice obliged. Immediately, the Clan broke into cheers for the young she-cat for the second time. Nightpaw's eyes shone with pride and joy. Thymepaw rushed over to her and nudged her with his shoulder, causing her to topple over because of her missing leg. Thymepaw gasped.

"M-Nightpaw are you alright?" he fretted. She looked up at him from the ground, her robin-egg eyes gleaming with amusement. "Mousebrain!" she said, laughing.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~squiggles~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~i love em~~~~~~**

**Oh my gods. Its NightThyme. Aren't I brilliant? That name tho... Anyway yeah, there's that. Have fun. And stuff. Thanksgiving break is almost over. I don't think I even remember how to DRESS anymore, much less learn... Well, hope everyone had a good break and all. Bu-bye. **


	7. Chapter 6

**W****OOHOO!****!****ITS AN UPDATE! OH, GODS, ITS AN UPDATE! *runs away sobbing* anyway, sorry for not updating for so long... Heehee. Oh well. I don't own Warriors, or Sand, Poppy, Fox, Dove and Cloud. Shhh. Those five are Pixeleve's. Yay! Now READ, monkey, READ!**

Chapter 6

Nightpaw followed Thymepaw into the apprentice den. Her shoulder was still a bit sore after Berrypaw's "treatment", but at least she could walk on it now.

"Here, Nightpaw, you can sleep here!" Thymepaw prodded her toward a nest next to his. She moved to sit in it, but then another apprentice entered the den.

"Oh hey, three-legs, nice of you to join us!" The she-cat said in a mocking tone.

"Tigerpaw! Be nice!" Thymepaw scolded angrily. Nightpaw looked at the brown tabby she-cat in surprise.

"Uh, hey I'm Nightpaw..." she mewed cautiously. The feisty she-cat raised an eyebrow **(do cats have eyebrows? Wutevs)** and huffed with disdain, but curled up in her nest without

word.

"Here you go, Nightpaw," Thymepaw said, nodding towards the nest.

"Thanks!" she purred, then snuggled into the warn heather and sheep's wool.

"Goodnight, Thymepaw," she mewed quietly.

"Night, Nightpaw," he replied, with a little chuckle.

~~~~~~~~~time is pass/PoV change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sand's paws hurt. Badly. Walking non-stop, barely pausing to eat and sleep does that to a cat. Not that she was going to complain. Nah, she was way too tough for that.

Poppy, her mother, was lagging behind their group, as she was heavily pregnant with her third litter. Sand's father, Fox, walked next to Poppy, murmuring quietly to her. Sand's older sisters, Dove and Cloud, trudged ahead, clearly just as tired as Sand, and just as reluctant to show it.

"Hey," Fox called. Everyone stopped and looked back at him.

"Its getting late, and Poppy needs to rest. I see a trail up ahead, it might lead us to a cave or something." he mewed, indicating the trail in question with a nod of his bright ginger head. All three sisters dipped their heads in agreement, and walked toward the path. It was partly obscured by bushes, which would be good shelter from the relentless wind.

Sand pushed through the prickly brambles and holly leaves, and stepped out onto a stone path, the floor marked by what almost looked like ancient paw prints. Her pale ginger paws slipped into the odd markings, which felt oddly natural. She stepped out into a small rocky hollow, with a little pool in the center.

"Oh, my, that pool reflects the stars beautifully!" Poppy rasped, limping over to look in to the shining water. She painfully bent her front legs and lapped up some liquid. Suddenly, her eyes went wide. With a gasp, she keeled over, her eyes closed. Fox let out a wail of shock and rushed to his fallen mate's side.

"Poppy? Poppy, are you alright? POPPY?!" he gasped, distraught.

"Mum?" Dove exclaimed, amazed. The other two sisters exchanged worried looks and bounded over to their mother. To their surprise, the white and brown she-cat stirred almost immediately.

"Oh, I've had the most lovely dream!" she exclaimed breathlessly. Fox, however, clearly want in the mood for silly dreams.

"Poppy! Are you alright? Where does it hurt? Do you need help? I can-"

"I'm quite alright, dear. No need to worry! The starry cats told me it would be alright!"

"Starry cats?" Fox asked, frowning. "Are you sure you feel fine?"

"Simply tired. I do believe its time for sleep. Goodnight!" Without another word, she hobbled into a crevice in the hollow's walls and curled up. Fox followed her, still looking worried. Dove, Cloud and Sand just shrugged and found their own crevice, curling up together for warmth, and soon fell asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~yay~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**A/N: Well. I have no idea why, but I have this strange image of Poppy as a Old English lady. So weird... Pixeleve, tell me if you want her portrayed differently, or any of your characters (which, by the way, are Poppy, Sand, Fox, Dove and Cloud,) for that matter... Anyways, sorry again about not updating in so long... I was sick for a while, and then school, and finals are coming up, and blah. You all know the feeling... Hehe. Wow, long author's note. I'll go now... DONT FORGET TO LEAVE A REVIEW! XD**


	8. Author's Note (don't kill me--IM SORRY)

**Hi, guys. Now, I know that you hate me for doing an authors note... Come and beat me with a stick if you want to. Anyway, I need help. I'm totally stuck. I have absolutely no idea how to continue this. And NO, I am NOT discontinuing this. I hate it when people do that. So... Drop a review if you can think of any way to continue. And I know writers block is a kinda stupid excuse... But yeah. So, like I said, drop a review if you can think of anything, or else Dawnstar will eat your face. **

**Dawnstar: I'd probably get food poisoning... Twolegs are disgusting. **

**Me: *sobs* SO MEAN. AND VERY OBVIOUSLY MISSING A BACK STORY. BUT THATS OK, RIGHT? **

**Dawnstar: I guess...**

**So yeah... Thanks! ~avolowolf**


	9. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Dawnstar sighed, exhausted. It had been a long day. She sat down in her nest, isolated in the leader's den. She almost missed being squished between other cats in the warriors in the old den. The hanging honeysuckle at the entrance to her den rustled. Dawnstar glanced up, surprised.

"Foxwind?" she yelped. A sudden wave of grief flooded over her when she remembered that her last family had passed away only yesterday.

"No, just me." It was Hollypool, the medicine cat. She stared at Dawnstar, her eyes glittering with sympathy.

"Are you alright?" she asked softly.

"I guess... I just can't believe he's actually gone. He was so..._strong, _he just seemed indestructible..." Dawnstar murmured.

" Your brother _was _strong, and so are you. I know you can get through this. We all understand." Hollypool mewed, sitting beside her leader.

Dawnstar's eyes stung, but she shook the tears away. She'd cried enough already, for her Clan, for her family, for _Hawkfang. _Hawkfang, Hawkfang, Hawkfang. She missed him most of all. Dawnstar sighed again and laid her head on her paws. Her eyes fluttered closed, almost against her will. In her dreams, she saw the love of her life again.

~~~~~~~~~hey look chapter end~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**LOOK! A., I UPDATED, B., DAWNSTAR HAS A BACKSTORY. Oh wow, its a miracle I actually updated. Sorry its a bit short, but whatevs, right? So uh, review and get cake, next chapter will have more... Plot, I guess? Anyway... Yay cake, all that. Leave a review, oh, and I don't own Warriors. I keep forgetting to say that, but there you go. Haha, my dog is wearing an ugly Christmas sweater. Lol. Um. Bye. **


	10. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Nightpaw! Wake up!" The three-legged she-cat groaned.

"Butt-crack of dawn," she muttered, staggering to her feet. Thymepaw, who was standing over her and had woken her, let out a bark of laughter at the phrase.

"Where d'ya hear that?" he snorted. Nightpaw giggled.

"I picked it up in Twolegplace," she explained, before shoving her way out of the apprentice den.

"Oh, wow, she actually got up! I didn't realize you even cared!" Came a mocking voice from ahead. It was Tigerpaw, the grumpy apprentice from the night before. Her baleful icy blue eyes studied Nightpaw's disgruntled appearance with disdain.

"Great StarClan, Tigerpaw! Be nice! It's her first day in training!" The pale brown tabby she-cat' s mentor, Shadeclaw, scolded her. Nightpaw smiled faintly. In all her travels, she had met loads of bullies, and she knew the types. Tigerpaw was the kind who had had a lot thrown at her at a young age, and who didn't quite know how to cope. Nightpaw shook out her messy fur, not bothering to try to groom it, and looked around at their current company. Thymepaw, Tigerpaw, herself, Moonflower, and Shadeclaw.

"Where's Eagleclaw?" she asked curiously, peering around.

"Deputy duties, mouse brain. Duh." snorted Tigerpaw.

"Deputy?! She's the deputy?" Nightpaw gasped. "Thymepaw, why didn't you tell me?! That's awesome!" Thymepaw looked a little embarrassed, but smiled and nodded proudly. "Yeah, she sure is."

"Alright, Eagleclaw told us to go on ahead, so just follow me," said Shadeclaw, and so they went.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~thyme is skipped~~~~~~~~~~~

The training clearing was a large opening in the tall grass, the ground dark, hard peat covered in soft, springy heather plants. They'd raced the whole way there, and to everyone's surprise, Nightpaw won. She yowled triumphantly and threw herself to the heathery ground. Thymepaw laughed and jumped in next to her.

"Alright, alright, up!" Shadeclaw said, amused but slightly annoyed. Nightpaw and Thymepaw scrambled to their feet as the other three cats padded into the clearing.

"Ok, so today were going to be learning battle moves," Moonfeather said softly, the first time she had spoken to Nightpaw since the new apprentice had last seen her. She had a soft, gentle voice, very unlike Shadeclaw's sharp snap or Eagleclaw's low mew.

"Yes, now Nightpaw, is there anything that you know already?" Shadeclaw inquired. Nightpaw frowned, then shrugged. "I guess I know somethings... I don't think I'm very good though," she smiled apologetically.

"Why don't we see about that?" Shadeclaw asked, with an almost evil grin. "Come at me."

Nightpaw shrugged, then charged the black-furred warrior. She leapt into the air, landing heavily right behind him. Shadeclaw spun around to face her, just as she darted around him and sprang onto his back. Shadeclaw let out a grunt of surprise, and started bucking around, trying to throw the three-legged apprentice off his back. Nightpaw, not wanting to hurt the warrior, allowed herself to be thrown off, but twisted in midair and landed, all three feet planted into the ground. Without a moment's hesitation, she pounced again, knocking Shadeclaw off his feet. Panting, she stood above him, her paw held above his throat.

"Dead," she mewed triumphantly. Shadeclaw stared at her with wide eyes. "What is it?" Nightpaw asked, frowning and letting Shadeclaw get to his feet.

"Shadeclaw is one of the best warriors in WindClan! And you can't be any older than eight moons! Nightpaw that was incredible!" Thymepaw squawked, practically exploding with pride for his new friend. Tigerpaw was staring at her, wide-eyed.

"Great StarClan, kit! Where did the learn that?" Shadeclaw gasped, still out of breath.

Nightpaw looked a little sad. "When you live like I did, you learn things," she said quietly.

Shadeclaw shook his head, as if to clear it. "Well, I'm not complaining. That kind of talent is exactly what WindClan needs right now." He said, awed. Nightpaw's sky blue eyes sparkled appreciatively. "Thanks," she meowed with a smile.

"Hey, uh, Nightpaw?" came a cautious voice. Nightpaw looked at Tigerpaw in surprise. "Yes?"

"I think I might've underestimated you a bit," the tabby apprentice apologized, smiling faintly. "Sorry about last night. Friends?" Her ice blue eyes seemed to have darkened to a more friendly shade of pale blue.

Nightpaw grinned. "Never doubted you, sister. Never doubted you." She gave Tigerpaw a paw-bump.

"Well, you may be an amazing fighter, but how are your hunting skills?" Shadeclaw huffed. Despite his high praise, his pride was clearly slightly dented at being defeated by an apprentice, and a three-legged one at that. Nightpaw winced. "Yeah... About that..."

Nightpaw had never actually caught real prey before.

========================{¢{€®°¥=`∆£∆¢{€{¥{€=¢=€℅°¥¥=€{¢{¶££{€=¥℅®℅

**What's this? I'm not dead? Wow, its a MIRACLE! Yeah, so Nightpaw is apparently badass... Yay? Oh, and HERE YOU GO, MICHELLE. STOP NAGGING ME. YOU'RE WELCOME. Ah. Sorry about that. Heehee. K bye**


	11. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The hunting lesson was a disaster. That is, until the hawk showed up.

Nightpaw was attempting to stalk a vole through the tall grass, but no matter what she tried, she toppled over because of her missing leg. Staggering back to her feet and shaking grass out of her pelt, she tasted the air, searching for more prey. A new scent touched her nostrils. It smelled of wind and sky, strength and ferocity. Nightpaw had absolutely no idea what it could be.

"Get down!" Eagleclaw screeched, having joined them not long ago.

"W-what?" Nightpaw yelped. "Why?"

"Hawk! Eagle! Caw caw! Caw caw!" Thymepaw shrieked, jumping on Nightpaw's back and causing her to fall over again. "W- Ow!" she gasped. "Sorry," Thymepaw whispered in her ear. She shouldered him off of her and scanned the skies, searching for the offending bird. "There!" she called, pointing with her tail. The raptor was circling around, letting it's gaze rest briefly on each of the cats, before fixing on Nightpaw as its prey.

"Nightpaw! _Move!_" Tigerpaw screeched. Nightpaw narrowed her eyes. _Hmmmmm..._

Just then, the eagle went into a precarious dive, shooting towards the ground at top speed, heading straight for Nightpaw. She studied it as it shot at her, tuning out her companions' screams for her to get down, to move.

Just as the bird was about to slam into her, talons first, she neatly sidestepped and slammed a paw onto its head, sending it smashing into the ground. It let out a terrified squawk as Nightpaw nimbly bent her head and bit its throat, snapping its neck. She stepped back, admiring her handiwork.

Tigerpaw fainted on the spot. Thymepaw smothered her with hugs and praise. Moonfeather just stared. Shadeclaw sat down heavily and didn't move. Eagleclaw studied the dead bird with wide eyes. All in all, it was pretty great, Nightpaw thought, smirking.

"I'm done." Shadeclaw said suddenly. "I'm done with this cat." He stood up and stalked off. "Huh," Nightpaw said, cocking her head to the side. "Would you look at that." She sigh, shaking her head. Bummer.

**A/N: Hey, look! Another short, filler chapter. I really need to get off my ass. At least we now know how freakishly badass Nightpaw can be. Yay? So uh, there's like, over 600 views for this story. I think I might die. Thank you thank you thank you thank you. Way more than I ever expected. Love you guys!**

**~avolowolf11CC**


	12. Chapter 10 (double digits!)

**Guys listen. Listen. I'm sorry. I put on my leather jacket, fingerless gloves, and aviator glasses. I look too cool for you to be able to kill me. Ha. **

Chapter 10

After the ridiculous training session, Moonfeather gave Nightpaw the day off, saying the she needed some time to think. Nightpaw just shrugged and dragged her fresh-kill, which was bigger than she was, into the camp as Thymepaw orbited around her.

"Look at this! That's right, she's _my _best friend! My best friend killed an eagle! Uh huh! That's right! All three legs of hers! Yup, that is an eagle, you're right!" Thymepaw strutted around the camp, boasting like no tomorrow.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say he's more proud than you are!" Moonfeather said from behind Nightpaw. The pretty silver warrior's eyes were glittering with suppressed amusement.

**(Random mid-chapter A/N: My four year old cousin is using her doctor skills on me. Ouch, plastic needle. According to her, your heart is in your stomach...?) **

"It does look like it, no?" Nightpaw mumbled around her mouthful of feathers. Thymepaw was running around Fawntalon, another warrior, shouting, "That's my Nightpaw!" Fawntalon looked half annoyed, half impressed as he caught Nightpaw's eye, his handsome pale green eyes amused.

"Thymepaw! Stop bothering everyone!" Nightpaw called after setting down her catch. Thymepaw looked a bit embarrassed as he joined them. "Sorry," he muttered, ducking his head. Nightpaw chuckled and dumped the bird on the fresh-kill-pile.

"Hey," Tigerpaw mewed, appearing beside them. "Feeling better?" Nightpaw asked, grinning. "Shut up," the tabby apprentice mewed halfheartedly. Her attention seemed to be focused elsewhere. Nightpaw followed her gaze, and her grin widened when she realized where Tigerpaw was staring. Fawntalon.

"You like him, don't you!" she cawed, laughing maniacally.

"Wha-who-n-no I don't! I don't know what you're going on about!" she stuttered, sticking her chin in the air, pouting. Nightpaw shook her head sadly. "Denial. It's not just a river in Egypt."

"What does that even _mean?_" Thymepaw asked, frowning. Nightpaw looked at him seriously. "I have no fricking idea."

Tigerpaw snorted, and soon they were all laughing like best friends, collapsed in a pile and roaring with glee.

"That wasn't even that funny!" Tigerpaw sobbed.

"I know, right?!" Nightpaw replied, clutching her sides. "Why is this happening?!"

"Dawnstar!" came a sudden voice. Shadeclaw raced into camp, looking worried. "I found a group of rogues, right outside the territory!" he called.

Dawnstar leaped down from the top of the Highrock and approached the black warrior. "Did you chase them off?" she asked, not looking very concerned.

"That's not it, one's in labor!" he panted. Dawnstar's eyes widened. "_What?!" _She whirled around.

"Hollypool and Berrypaw, come with me, Fawntalon, Shadeclaw and Nightpaw! Let's go!" Hollypool muttered something in Berrypaw's ear, and the medicine cat apprentice nodded and dashed into the medicine den. Nightpaw glanced at her friends.

"We'll finish this later," she mewed sternly, before racing out of camp behind Dawnstar and Fawntalon. After a moment, the medicine cats joined her. Behind them came Shadeclaw, still gasping for breath.

The group set off, Shadeclaw leading the way, heading in the opposite direction of the training area.

"How many rogues?" Dawnstar asked, barely out of breath.

"I didn't quite see, but I think there was about five." Shadeclaw replied. Dawnstar nodded, then sped up. The patrol followed, the two medicine cats breathing heavily around their mouthfuls of supplies. Finally, they reached a dip in the ground. A brown and white she-cat lay at the bottom, surrounded by concerned looking cats. The she-cat's eyes were closed, and she was gasping for breath.

A bright ginger tom whirled around and glared at Dawnstar. Before he could speak, however, the reddish-gold leader growled, "We are here to help. Stop looking at me like I murdered your mother."

She ushered Hollypool and Berrypaw forward, and they padded down the shallow slope and bent over the she-cat.

"How long?" Hollypool asked suddenly, surprising the tom. "Uh... What?"

Hollypool rolled her eyes. "How long has she been giving birth?"

The tom looked slightly embarrassed. "Not long, about a half an hour."

Hollypool looked confused, as though she wasn't quite sure what that was. "It's... It's kind of hard to explain..." Nightpaw butted in. "Because an hour is sixty minutes, and a minute is sixty seconds... I suppose a second about the length of a heartbeat." Hollypool nodded, like that information was enough. "What's her name?" she asked. Confused, the tom opened his mouth to ask why, but Hollypool just rolled her eyes. "It helps." He nodded. "Poppy." Hollypool turned back to the she-cat.

"Alright, Poppy. I'm gonna need you to take some deep breaths, yes, that's right, just breathe." The medicine cat glanced at Berrypaw. "Stick." Berrypaw nodded, and placed a sturdy-looking stick in front of Poppy's jaws. The she-cat smiled gratefully and bit down on it.

Her body gave a sudden spasm, and Poppy whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut. The stick, clenched between her teeth, started to splinter.

Nightpaw admired Hollypool's calm. The black-and-white apprentice herself was panicking. She noticed the small pool of blood. Was that supposed to happen? Was it normal to bleed while giving birth? Nightpaw didn't think so , and judging by the frown on Berrypaw's face, she guessed correctly.

Of course, compared the the bleeding she-cat's mate, Nightoaw's panic was nothing. The orange tom was running circles around the two medicine cats and his mate, furiously asking questions, his mossy green eyes alight with terror.

Two of the three younger she-cats, probably other daughters, were huddled next to each other, silver fur mingling. The youngest daughter, however, was pressed against the side of the dip, alone. Nightpaw felt a burst of sympathy for the kit, who couldn't have been more than five moons old. She quietly slipped down the slope and sat next to the sandy cat, smiling warmly.

"Hey," she mewed quietly. "I think your mom's gonna be fine. Hollypool and Berrypaw are real good at this."

The kit smiled carefully at her. "I really hope so," she sighed. "My sisters don't like me much, and it was kinda my fault we had to leave our old home, and now Momma's hurting because she had to walk so much, and I think they might blame me." She looked sad. Nightpaw smiled.

"It'll be fine. I'm Nightpaw, by the way."

"Sand. And thanks, Nightpaw."

Their conversation was suddenly cut off by Poppy, who suddenly let out a horrible scream. "No, no, no," Hollypool was muttering. "Berrypaw, massage her belly. We may have to take drastic measures if we want to save this cat." Berrypaw nodded, and did as she was told. Poppy's mate was hovering over the medicine cat's shoulder, calling out anxiously.

"Poppy, darling, you'll be fine, you'll be just fine, take a deep breath, you can do this, for me, right?" Poppy closed her eyes again. "I'm too old for this," Nightpaw heard her mutter.

"The first kit! You're doing great, Poppy! Only two more!" The queen nodded fiercely. Berrypaw started to lick the kit clean, then frowned. "Oh, no."

Even from the other side of the little hollow, Nightpaw could see that the kit was stillborn. She felt something burrow into her side, and looked down, surprised, to see Sand. The pale ginger kit was pressing into her fur. Nightpaw smiled sadly, and wrapped a foreleg around her. "It's ok," she whispered. "It's ok."

Another shout from Berrypaw announced the arrival of another kit. "This one's alive!" she added triumphantly. Nightpaw grinned and looked down at Sand. "There, see? It's going well now." Sand nodded slowly. "I really hope it stays that way."

**Sand POV**

Poppy screamed again, and Sand whimpered and pushed her face into Nightpaw's side again. She felt the end of embarrassed to lean on another cat like this, but Nightpaw didn't seem to mind. Sand felt her strong forelegs go around her again, and felt Nightpaw give a little gasp. Sand didn't even want to know why. She felt the older cat's soft nose touch the top of her head, and Sand understood. The last kit must've been stillborn. "Your mom's ok, I think." Sand smiled into Nightpaw's soft black fur. "Ok," she replied softly.

"We're going back to camp now, to let Poppy rest. Are you coming?" Sand looked into Nightpaw's warm blue eyes. "Sure."

Sand let Nightpaw gently guide her out of the hollow, and suddenly felt her odd lurching gait. Sand frowned. That was strange. Nightpaw seemed to walk fine, but she definitely rocked more than was normal. Then she caught sight of the leg. Or rather, _didn't. _Sand decided that no comment was necessary, and allowed Nightpaw to continue to guide her to WindClan's camp.

**THE PLOT THICKENS. Not really. I finally got Sand & Co. in! Pixeleve, I'm gonna have Nightpaw be like a big sister/best friend for Sand, k? **

**Ok, guys. I meant this as a Christmas/holiday present, but I didn't finish in time. SORRY. I think this is the longest chapter so far. Yay. Leather jacket, protect me from the angry readers... Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, I'll leave before you kill me violently...**


	13. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

After the cats came back to camp, Hollypool and Berrypaw gently guiding Poppy to the medicine den, Nightpaw led Sand over to Thymepaw and Tigerpaw. "Hey, guys."

She nudged the sandy kit forward. "This is Sand. I expect you all to be nice to her okay? I imagine she's a bit stressed out at the moment."

Thymepaw smiled warmly. "Hello, Sand. Welcome to our camp."

Tigerpaw regarded her carefully, then smiled as well. "Hi."

Sand nodded, staring at her paws. She didn't respond to either of them.

"Well, Sand. I don't know where Dawnstar is going to put you, but for now why don't you come into the apprentices den with me and get some rest?"

Sand nodded and quietly followed Nightpaw, the other two apprentices joining them.

Suddenly, an obnoxious voice called out; "Hey, Worm!"

Sand stiffened. "What do you want, Dove?" Nightpaw whirled around to shoot a bewildered look at the pair of gorgeous pale silver she-cats approaching them.

"I just wanted you to know that that leader cat," The first she-cat, Dove waved her tail dismissively toward Dawnstar and Eagleclaw, which made Nightpaw frown angrily, "decided that we would be sleeping in that den, so you'd better not get in our way."

Nightpaw glanced at Sand, horrified by the two cat's cruelty, only to find the poor kit staring meekly at her paws and not meeting her sister's eyes. "Don't worry, I won't." Dove and the other cat nodded, apparently satisfied, and tried to push past the four of them, but Nightpaw stood fast.

The second cat, whose name she didn't know, sneered in her face. "Move it, _three-legs._"

Nightpaw barely flinched at the familiar insult. She bared her teeth angrily. "That is absolutely no way to treat your kin! You should be kind to her! Everyone makes mistakes."

Dove let out a bark of harsh laughter. She stepped right up into Nightpaw's face, stepping on her paw and curling her claws in. "That _worm _is not worth a single ounce of my kindness. We were happy in our old home, and I am not forgiving her just because some stupid three-legged _Clan _cat tells me to. Now get out of my way before I have to make you."

Nightpaw had to admit that the she-cat was pretty scary, but refused to be intimidated. Instead she coolly flipped the silver she-cat over onto her back, and dug her paws into her shoulders without unsheathing her claws. Dove writhed in the dirt, but couldn't break free of Nightpaw's powerful grip. "Watching you squirm, I'm thinking maybe _you're _the worm here. Sand is a good cat, and more than that, she's your sister. You're _obligated _to love her no matter what stupid things she does. And that den that you're trying to claim as your's? That's _my _den. You understand me? Now get up, clean yourself off, whatever you need to do, and start acting like a _real _cat." Nightpaw shoved the cat out from under, then sat back and glared at her, licking a paw. Dove scrambled to her feet and ran into the apprentices den. Her identical sister sent Nightpaw a glare of mingled fear and hatred, and ran after her.

"Holy Dark Forest, Nightpaw, you can be _terrifying._" Tigerpaw gaped. Thymepaw nodded weakly. Nightpaw grinned at them. "I try. Don't cross me or you'll end up like her."

They chuckled good-naturedly. Nightpaw glanced at Sand to find her new friend staring at her in awe. The little cat blinked her mossy green eyes and then rushed forward, burying her face in Nightpaw's fur. "Thank you," she whispered.

Nightpaw smiled and wrapped her tail around Sand's back. "Anytime, silly. Your sisters are idiots."

"Hey, uh, Nightpaw?" Thymepaw asked suddenly. "What in the name of StarClan is an ounce?"

She stared at him. And stared. And stared. "Was that the only thing you registered this entire time?"

Thymepaw shrugged. "Possibly."

"PAHAHAHAHAHA!" Tigerpaw threw her head back and laughed and laughed and laughed. The other cats, including Sand, couldn't help but join in. It was a good day.

**A/N: Wow, a chapter! It's a miracle! If you're angry at me, go on YouTube and search Shia LaBeouf, and click the first one that shows up. You'll feel instantly better. You're welcome. Happy Birthday. **


	14. Chapter 12

**Chapter 13**

Still feeling a little uneasy after her showdown with Dove and, as she later learned, Cloud. She slipped out of camp after saying goodnight to everyone, heading out to find a place to watch the sunset and just breathe.

She finally settled in a soft patch of heather, and turned to watch as the sun lit up in the sky in first golds, bloody reds and soft pinks. She sighed and tucked her paws underneath herself, content.

That is, until a voice came from behind her, causing her to yelp loudly and tip over, before regaining her composure and whipping around to glare at the cat who'd called her name and interrupted her peace.

"Whoa, there!" Thymepaw yelped, holding up a paw. "It's just me."

Nightpaw sighed, then turned around to study the drowning sun once more. Thymepaw sat beside her. "Beautiful, isn't it?" he said softly.

"I suppose," Nightpaw replied. "I've always been more curious than amazed, though."

Thymepaw raised his eyebrows at her. "Why's that?"

Nightpaw rested her head on her paws. "Haven't you ever wondered where it goes? Something so big, and so hot, surely it couldn't just die every sundown. It must sleep somewhere, while the moon rules. The sunset is like a lullaby."

Thymepaw blinked at her. "You seem to have had a lot of time to think about this." She grinned at him. "Yeah."

"What's a lullaby?" Thymepaw asked softly, laying his head next to hers.

Nightpaw shook her head. "It's a Twoleg thing. I can't do it. I've heard them doing it though. It's very beautiful."

Thymepaw smiled. "I wish I could hear it. What is this lullaby thing for?"

"Well, there's actually a lot of different kinds. They're called songs. The lullaby ones , as far as I know, are what the mother Twoleg use to get their kits to sleep."

"I could use some sleep." Thymepaw grunted, his eyes half-lidded.

"Should we go back to camp?" Nightpaw asked, looked reluctant.

"Nah. They won't care." Thymepaw smiled sleepily.

"Goodnight, then." muttered Nightpaw.

"Goodnight."

They fell asleep under the twinkling stars, moonlight bathing their fur.

**A/N: Is this chapter necessary? Absolutely not. Is Thymepaw smiling repeatedly instead of finding a synonym? You betcha. Is this barely long enough to be considered a chapter at all? Haha. Do i need to get my sh!t together and start working on Winged? Bingo. Nightpaw should he a scientist. It'll be...refreshing. Just kidding. "The sun is sleeping." ~Love Nightpaw.**

**OMG THERE GOES A CRACKFIC IDEA. EXCEPT TO SEE A POSSIBLE ONE-SHOT ABOUT HUMAN NIGHTPAW TRYING OUT THE WONDERES OF SCIENCE. THIS'LL GO WELL. YAY. **

**Remember to ask any questions in a review!**

**~avolowolf**


	15. Chapter 13

**Haha, I lied, it's not Sunday...**

**Chapter 13**

Nightpaw yawned, arching her back, and then opened her eyes. She wasn't in her nest. She wasn't in the apprentices den. She wasn't even in WindClan camp. She was standing in an open field, on a soft nest of heather.

Nightpaw felt her face heating up as she remembered what had happened last night. She glanced down at Thymepaw for a moment, before realizing that is was nearly sunhigh.

"THYMEPAW!" she screeched, shoving him with her forepaws.

He shot to his feet, head snapping around and his eyes wild. "What? What is it?"

"It's, like, sunhigh, almost! We need to get back to camp!"

Thymepaw squawked like a choked rabbit and took off in the direction of camp. Nightpaw moved to follow, then paused. "Hey, Thymepaw!"

He whipped around, golden eyes questioning. "What?"

"Maybe we should catch some prey, so that we can just say we went out early to hunt, and then we got caught up in it, and didn't realize it was sunhigh!"

Thymepaw paused, then nodded appreciatively. "Good idea!"

"Let's go over to RiverClan's side, it's farther away from camp." The two friends padded off through the long waving grass, both of them thinking about the night before and stealing glances at each other.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~squiggles~~~

"There!" Nightpaw dug her claws into the ground and shot after the rabbit like a startled hummingbird. She pushed off as hard as she could with her single hind leg, and snatched her prey with outstretched claws like thorns. She neatly bit its neck, killing it instantly.

"Nice catch!" Thymepaw was waiting next to their growing pile of rabbits. They'd already caught three, and Nightpaw was adding the fourth.

Nightpaw panted, and smiled at Thymepaw. "This'll be enough to feed the whole elders den, even Blacktail!" he remarked. "I don't know how that old bat is so skinny!" Nightpaw laughed and butted him with her head. "Aren't you supposed to respect your elders?"

An odd scent caught her nose. She frowned, sniffing, then started following the fishy scent. It led her to a thick clump of heather, and, hidden inside, was a pile of rabbit bones, gleaming dangerously in the dappled sunlight underneath the flowers and stinking of RiverClan.

**A/N: This chapter is a lot shorter than I intended... Am I bad at cliffies? I think it was so-so. **

**Guys, remember, if you're confused about anything, just ask in a review and I'll answer you in the next chapter! :3**

**Aaaand here comes the inevitable Clan vs. Clan battle that every good Warriors fanfic always has!... Notice that in Starkit's Prophecy there is no Clan vs. Clan fighting, so it's all good. Mmmmhm. Yup. **

**~avolowolf**

**PS. For anyone who hasn't seen it yet, check out Nyx's Attempt at the Wonders of Science! It's the human Mystery I told youabout at the end of Chapter 12. Check it out, it's on my profile!**


	16. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"Dawnstar!" Nightpaw crashed into camp behind Thymepaw and dashed up to Dawnstar, breathing heavily.

"You two! Where have you been?!" Dawnstar exclaimed angrily.

"Now, any other day I would he perfectly happy to answer that question, but right now, I need to show you something." Nightpaw panted.

Dawnstar narrowed her eyes. "Show me."

Dawnstar's blue eyes were like stone as she raised her head from the RiverClan scented bush.

"This," she began coldly. "It unacceptable."

Nightpaw shifted her paws anxiously. What was Dawnstar going to do?

"The Gathering is tonight. I will confront Pikestar then." The reddiesh-gold leader stalked off back toward camp, before turning her head to yowl over her shoulder, "And don't think you you're getting away with staying out all night!"

Nightpaw glanced sheepishly at Thymepaw, and he grinned guiltily. "Oh well." **(I was gonna end it here, you chumps are lucky)**

**-**-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~augh

"So... How many Gatherings have you guys been to?"

Tigerpaw shrugged. "Lots."

"We've been to one." Thymepaw corrected smartly.

"Oh, come on, Thymepaw! I was trying to make us look at least a bit impressive!" Tigerpaw complained.

Nightpaw was feeling apprehensive. She knew that Dawnstar was going to say something to Pikestar tonight and, as Thymepaw had said, was going to introduce Nightpaw to all the Clans. Which would mean more confusion about why Dawnstar had let her, the three-legged cat, into the Clan, more jeers about how she was useless. Oh well. Nightpaw was used to it. Street cats were not exactly sensitive all the time.

"Ah, yes. The Island Log. Fun." Thymepaw heaved himself onto the log and cocked his head at Tigerpaw. "Stop trying to sound so experienced, stupid. We've only done this once." He padded off across the log, digging his claws in deep.

Nightpaw took a deep breath and pulled herself onto the the wood. Then she made the mistake of looking down, and was instantly paralyzed. The gray, churning lake beneath her... Nightpaw could not swim for the life of her. Her blood pounded in her ears as she tried to move a paw, ignore the water, and BALANCE. Nightpaw's single back paw lost its grip and slipped off.

Strong teeth gripped her scruff and pulled her back onto the log just before her claws brushed the lake's surface. "StarClan, Nightpaw, be careful!" Moonfeather scolded, pushing Nightpaw to her feet.

"Th-thanks Moonfeather," Nightpaw stammered, trembling. She shakily lifted a paw and dug her claws into the old wood, and hurried forward, narrowing her eyes to stop herself from looking at the water again.

The second she had all three paws on solid ground again, Thymepaw tackled her to the ground, squeezing the life out of her.

"Okay, Thymepaw, I'm okay. In good." She gasped. Thymepaw released her, and glared worriedly at her. "You," he growled, prodding her shoulder with a paw, "will not ever worry me like that ever again, got it?"

Nightpaw grinned and scrambled to her paws. "Got it."

They pushed through the bushes, into the clearing in the middle of the island. They were the first ones there, since the log was on their territory.

Nightpaw, Thymepaw and Tigerpaw had just settled in amidst their Clanmates, when another Clan appeared, their leader running to the Great Oak and bounding up to settle next to Dawnstar.

"Who's that?" Nightpaw asked eyeing the new arrivals.

"That's Owlstar, he's ThunderClan's leader." Tigerpaw replied, just as a small group of apprentices dashed up to them.

"Thymepaw! Tigerpaw!" The 'paw in the lead, a ginger tom, called out as he reached them.

"Sparkpaw!" Thymepaw grinned and greeted his friend.

"Who's that?" Another apprentice, a dark brown tabby she-cat, questioned.

"This is Nightpaw, Nightpaw these guys are Sparkpaw," the ginger tom nodded, "Aspenpaw," a pretty tortoiseshell she-cat grinned, "Reedpaw," the dark brown she-cat winked, "and Patchpaw." The last tom, Patchpaw, nodded moodily.

"Hey, look! RiverClan!" Aspenpaw exclaimed. Nightpaw tensed at the name.

None of the ThunderClan apprentices noticed her reaction. "Let's find Troutpaw and Yellowpaw!" Sparkpaw called, racing off to find them. A moment later he reappeared, leading two sleek-furred, fishy-smelling cats behinds him.

"Guys, this is Nightpaw, she's new, from WindClan." The RiverClan 'paws, both toms, nodded to her.

Before they could speak, the last Clan, which Nightpaw assumed was ShadowClan, came through the bushes, and their leader jumped onto the Great Oak, starting the Gathering.

"That's Brackenstar," Thymepaw murmured in her ear. Nightpaw nodded as ShadowClan's leader stepped forward to speak.

"ShadowClan is doing well. Prey is running well, and there has been no strife of any sort. Sunheart has had one litter of kits, all toms. That is all." He nodded to Owlstar and stepped back.

"ThunderClan is also doing well. We have no new kits, however, Darkwing and Cranefoot have been made warriors." He paused as the Clans called the names of the new warriors, who Nightpaw searched out through the crowd, quickly locating a pair of she-cats, who looked very proud. "That is all." Owlstar finished.

Dawnstar went next, to Nightpaw's surprise. She would have expected her to go last.

"Prey is running well. We are recovering well from...last leaf-bare, and we have also accepted a rogue into our Clan to help us. Please welcome Nightpaw." Nightpaw straightened up, glaring at the other cats and daring them to comment on her leg. No one did. They called her name cheerfully.

"That is all...for now." Dawnstar said slowly, glancing at Pikestar. The tom in question shot her a confused look before beginning his speech.

"RiverClan is well. Twolegs have been a bit of a nuisance, but it is nothing we can't handle. Our streams are full, and we expect them to be so until the end of newleaf. Thank you." Pikestar nodded, as though this completed the Gathering. The four Clans began to cluster together for friendly gossip, but then Dawnstar yowled again. "We have something else to say!"

They stared at her in confusion as she continued, turning to face Pikestar.

"Pikestar, I have found rabbit bones near RiverClan's border, drenched in your scent. Do you have something to say to that?"

Pikestar stared at her, wide-eyed. "There has been no prey-theft that I know of. We have plenty of our own food."

Dawnstar glared at him. "Then I expect you to take control of your warriors. WindClan, come." She waved her tail and leaped off the branch, leading the way out of the clearing.

**A/N: I made up Island Log... As in capitalized, proper noun made it up. Nigutpaw is afraid of heights and water. Oops. RiverClan is steelin prey wifout permission from Pikestar. Haha. **

**So, guys, check out Nyx's Attempt at the Wonders of Science, and DONT BE AFRAID OF THE COMPETITION THINGY! I'm excited to see who gets an OC in the story, and who is dead! (If you got that refrence, i love you). So yeah. Even if you don't have an account on Fanfiction, you can still review! Contest details are in the story if anyone is interested. Find it on my profile. **

**~avolowolf**


	17. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"Dawnstar, what of the rogues?"

Eagleclaw sat before Dawnstar in the leader's den. Dawnstar slumped in her nest, looking almost bored.

"I suppose we might as well ask them if they wish to join our Clan. Our numbers are still few..."

Eagleclaw dug her claws into the sandy floor. "StarClan damned plague..." she cursed angrily. Dawnstar narrowed her eyes.

"We must put that behind us now. That was a long time ago."

Eagleclaw nodded distractedly. "Shall I go ask them now?"

Dawnstar nodded. "May as well." As Eagleclaw left the den, Dawnstar let out a long breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. _Last leafbare..._

*FLASHBACK*

_Hawkfang coughed lightly. Dawncloud grinned at him. "Got a bit of whitecough?" _

_He laughed lightly. "I'm fine." Dawncloud rested her reddish-gold head on his shoulder. He smiled and wrapped his tail around her. _

_"So... Deputy? How do you feel about that?" he purred. She sighed. "A bit overwhelmed. Honestly, why me, of all cats? I'm too...too _ordinary. _Really." _

_Hawkfang let out a bark of laughter. "Ordinary? You? A cat can't be ordinary and still be completely perfect in every way!" Dawncloud blushed furiously. "Hawkfang!" He nuzzled her ear, smiling widely. "I love you." Dawncloud's smile could have it up the night sky. "I love you too." _

_"I suppose we'd better get back to the Clan before anyone misses us." Hawkfang sighed. They stood, and began padding off to the camp. _

_"Redstar." Dawncloud acknowledged her leader with a nod. He did the same. "How are things with the rogues?" she asked carefully. The three sickly cats who had wearily dragged themselves into WindClan's camp in the last moon were a bit of a sore spot for the proud leader. _

_Redstar narrowed his eyes. "Yellowberry and Hollypaw are doing all they can, but they are beginning to believe that it can't be helped. The youngest is nearly dead." Dawncloud nodded sadly. Redstar coughed roughly. "Why don't you go check on them, I'm a bit sick." Dawncloud nodded, and left the sandy den. _

_*_END OF FLASHBACK*

Hawkfang was long gone. As was most of the Clan, along with those three damned rogues. They brought the sickness. The sickness that killed Hawkfang, killed her sister, her mother, her father. It killed everyone. It didn't kill her brother, but now he was gone too. It even killed Redstar. Sweet, indestructible Redstar. Dawnstar put her head in her paws and cried.

**A/N: Oh, look! Another depressing Dawnstar chapter! Don't we all just love those! Haha. Ha. So, now you know about "last leafbare". Isn't that nice. For anyone who didn't understand, three sick rogues came to WindClan for help, but they infected basically the whole Clan and almost everyone died. Isn't that just fantastic. Yippee. **

**So, I've been thinking ahead with this story, and I've thought of some AWESOME things that you guys probably won't like very much. Lol. **

**So, remember to check out Nyx... Blah. You all know by now. But go do it! I have two contest entries, and both people already have characters in this! Even if you don't have an account you can review. Also review this chapter kiddies. And, I don't own Warriors. Been forgetting to say that. REVIEW PLZ**

**~avolowolf**


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